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World canoe champ signs up for Fish

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3 September 2010

World champion Max Hoff of Germany has confirmed his entry for South Africa's 2010 Fish River Canoe Marathon. Hoff and teammate Stefan Stiefenhoefer will be bidding to become the first international paddlers to win the famously gruelling two-day race.

Hoff is the toast of the canoeing world this month, after retaining his 1 000 metres K1 world title at the Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland in rampant fashion to cement his reputation as one of the best paddlers in the world.

The cheerful Cologne native is a former wild water world champion and has won many tough river marathons, including the prestigious Ardeche Marathon several times.

Third time lucky?

Moff and Stiefenhoefer will be contesting their third Hansa Powerade Fish, which starts in Cradock in the Eastern Cape on 1 October, and they're strongly fancied to go one better than the fast-finishing second they achieved together in 2006. But the likeable Hoff is not talking up their chances.

"For the Hansa Powerade Fish 2010, I hope Stephan and I will be the fastest international crew, and hopefully race like we did in 2006," said Hoff from his hometown where he was celebrating retaining his 1 000 metres world title.

"I raced well in the K1 race last year (when he finished second to winner Len Jenkins), so I hope I can do it again," he added.

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will also be out to erase the nightmare of their race in 2008, when they were controversially eliminated after just 10 kilometres following a collision in the monster rapid known as Keith's Flyover.

Taking a fast and direct line, they ended up sliding beneath the kayak of race leaders Hank McGregor and Grant van der Walt and capsized.

After initially slating the eventual race winners for their sluggish paddling in the big rapid, they swallowed their pride and remained diplomatic and enthusiastic supporters for the rest of the race.

'I really like this race'

"I really like this race," said Hoff. "It's such a pleasure for me to come to Cradock.

"The Fish is one of the best races I know. Everybody is so friendly and helpful to us and try to help us with every of our wishes."

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will be jetting into the Eastern Cape on the Tuesday before the race, roughly a week after the rest of the international contingent, but they're confident they will be able to acclimatise and shake off the effect of their travel from Germany in time for the start of the race.

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will arrive in the country at the same time as the top South African crews who are taking part in the World Marathon Championships in Spain the weekend before the Hansa Powerade Fish.

Rested and full recovered

The big difference for Hoff, however, is that he will be rested and fully recovered from his sprint racing season.

His participation in the annual Hansa Powerade Fish has been a talking point since he was headhunted from the German wild water team to join the Olympic sprint team in 2007.

Against the norms for his national Olympic coaches, Hoff and his coach Stiefenhoefer are not barred from taking part in other paddling disciplines in his off-season, and he been able to combine his passion for river races like the Hansa Powerade Fish with his continuing success as a flatwater sprinter.

Hoff has tasted victory in South Africa before, sensationally winning the annual Global Trader Drak Challenge in the Southern Drakensberg in 2007 to also claim the South African K1 title in the process.

SAinfo reporter